Metallica Rock ‘Concert for Valor’ With Military Veterans Onstage

There were plenty of salutes to the military throughout the evening during The Concert for Valor last night, but Metallica offered perhaps the most interactive, inviting a number of military veterans and their families up onstage to provide the backdrop and rock out as they played their three-song set.

Jack Black introduced the band, leading the crowd in an inspired "Metallica" chant before giving way to the group. As the performance started, you could see a number military personnel dressed in their uniforms along with their civilian family members visibly getting into every Kirk Hammett guitar riff and Lars Ulrich beat. Meanwhile, both James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo spent time both playing to those onstage behind them as well as the thousands who had populated National Mall in Washington, D.C.

You can watch the three-song set above, which included such Metallica classics as 'For Whom the Bell Tolls,' a blistering 'Master of Puppets' complete with amazing Kirk Hammett riffing and the set closing heaviness of 'Enter Sandman.' And to learn more about how you can support military veterans, check out the Concert for Valor website here.

The Concert for Valor, which aired on HBO last night, also featured sets by Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem and several other musicians.

After having just played BlizzCon and the Concert for Valor, Metallica will return to the studio where the band plans on recording their follow-up to 2006's 'Death Magnetic' album.